1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system which can be applied to various types of devices in which plural cartridge parts can be removably loaded in a device main body, and to an image forming device (such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer or the like) in which plural cartridge parts can be removably loaded in a device main body.
2. Description of the Related Art
Among image forming devices using an electrophotographic process such as a copier, a laser printer or the like, there are image forming devices in which the container which houses toner is structured as a toner cartridge in order to facilitate maintenance of the device. In such an image forming device, when all of the toner has been discharged from the interior of the toner cartridge, the user replaces the toner cartridge with a new one so as to replenish the toner. At this time, in most cases, the used toner cartridge which has been removed from the image forming device is returned by the user to the manufacturer of the image forming device. After undergoing recycling processes by the manufacturer such as inspection, cleaning, replacement of worn-out parts, refilling of toner and the like, the toner cartridge is again shipped to the user. When such an image forming device can form color images, respectively different types of toner cartridges (e.g., four types corresponding to black, cyan, magenta, and yellow) are loaded in cartridge loading sections provided at different regions in the device main body. Toners of respectively different colors are supplied from these toner cartridges to the device main body.
Moreover, among such image forming devices, there are those in which a developing device, a cleaning device, a charging device and the like are provided as process parts relating to the image creating process (the developing device adheres toner to a electrophotographic photosensitive body (hereinafter simply called “photosensitive body”); the cleaning device recovers the residual toner after transfer of a toner image from the photosensitive body has been completed; and the charging device charges the image carrying surface of the photosensitive body to a predetermined electric potential), and which are equipped with a process cartridge in which at least one of these process parts is supported integrally with the photosensitive body. The process cartridge is replaced with a new one when the life of any of the structural parts thereof has elapsed. In most cases, the process cartridge which has been removed from the image forming device is returned from the user to the manufacturer, and after undergoing recycling processes by the manufacturer such as inspection, cleaning, replacement of parts whose life has elapsed, and the like, is again shipped to the user who uses the image forming device.
In recent years, such image forming devices have been used in which a tag (a wireless communication tag) having a radio wave communication function and an information storage function is attached to each of the cartridge parts (such as a toner cartridge, a process cartridge, or the like), and a wireless communication device, which is for carrying out input and output of information between the wireless communication tags and the device main body, is provided at the device main body. In such an image forming device, when a cartridge part is loaded in the device main body, the control section of the main body reads information stored on the cartridge tag or writes information onto the cartridge tag, by radio wave communication between the wireless communication device and the cartridge tag. In this way, for example, due to the control section of the main body reading, from the cartridge tag, information corresponding to the type of cartridge part, if a cartridge part which is a different type than the type which should actually be loaded is mistakenly loaded into a predetermined loading section of the device main body, it can be judged that the cartridge part has been mistakenly loaded, and the needed control (error processing or the like) can be carried out. Further, if the control section of the main body is structured so as to write the usage history of the cartridge part, which is based on the number of times image formation has been carried out or the like, onto the wireless communication tag, the manufacturer or the like can read the information relating to the usage history from the wireless communication tag of the cartridge part which has been returned from the user. In this way, the manufacturer or the like can efficiently and accurately carry out inspection work or parts replacement work in the process of recycling the cartridge part.
Among such wireless communication tags mounted to cartridge parts, there are those to which electric power consumed at the time of operation (such as wireless communication, information processing or the like) is supplied by electromagnetic induction from the wireless communication device of the device main body. In this way, there is no need for a power source such as a battery or the like to be provided at the wireless communication tag. This is advantageous from the standpoints of making the wireless communication tag more compact and keeping the cost thereof low.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2001-22230 discloses an image forming device equipped with such wireless communication tags to which electric power is supplied by electromagnetic induction. In this image forming device, a wireless communication tag is attached to each of a process cartridge and a developing cartridge (which is a developing device which has been made into a cartridge part), and a wireless communication device is provided at the device main body.
Here, a main body antenna and tag antennas, which are each formed by winding a thin metal film into a coil form, are provided at the wireless communication device and the wireless communication tags respectively. In this wireless communication system formed from the wireless communication tags and the wireless communication device, the supply of electric power to the wireless communication tags is carried out by electromagnetic induction. In order to reliably carry out radio wave communication by using the weak electric power supplied to the wireless communication tags by electromagnetic induction, the main body antenna of the wireless communication device and the tag antenna of the wireless communication tag oppose one another in a state of being substantially parallel to one another, or in a state of being slightly inclined with respect to the other. Further, there is the need to make the interval between the main body antenna and the tag antenna of the wireless communication tag sufficiently small.
In an image forming device which can form color images, a wireless communication tag is provided at each of the plural types of toner cartridges. In a case in which an attempt is made to carry out radio wave communication between these wireless communication tags and the wireless communication device of the device main body, it has been thought to place the plural toner cartridges symmetrically with respect to the main body antennas in order to reduce the number of places at which the main body antennas are to be provided. In such a case, in order to set the plural tag antennas in the aforementioned positional relationship with respect to the main body antennas, usually, the wireless communication tags must be provided at respectively different regions at the plural types of toner cartridges. Accordingly, in plural types (e.g., four types) of toner cartridges loaded in an image forming device which can form color images, the attaching portions for the wireless communication tags (tag attaching portions) must be made to have a different shape and a different structure for each type of toner cartridge, and it is difficult to use a common configuration and structure for the tag attaching portions. In addition, using a common configuration and structure is desirable from the standpoints of reducing the manufacturing costs of the toner cartridges, facilitating recycling, and the like.